End of Michaelmas Term 2022 - Peponi Post

Peponi Post

MICHAELMAS TERM (2)

Outstanding Learner Awards

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following pupils for achieving a number of Outstanding Learner Awards from both Pearson and Cambridge.

Cambridge

Outstanding Learner Awards

Name Award Quali cation Subject

Kian Patel Top in Kenya Cambridge-A Level Economics

Kian Patel Top in Kenya Cambridge-A Level Physics

Neha Shah Top in Kenya Cambridge-AS Level Chemistry

Pascha Hulsmann Top in Kenya Cambridge-A Level Biology

Pascha Hulsmann Top in Kenya Cambridge-A Level Chemistry

Shrey Haria High Achievement Cambridge-A Level Physical Education

Tasha Ndonga Top in Kenya Cambridge-IGCSE Drama

Pearson Outstanding Awards

Name Award Quali cation Subject

Ryan Gontier

Highest Mark in Kenya Pearson-IGCSE Chemistry

Ryan Gontier Highest Mark in Kenya Pearson-IGCSE Physics

Tara Vora Highest Mark in Kenya Pearson-IGCSE Biology

Tasha Ndonga Highest Mark in Kenya Pearson-IGCSE Religious Studies

Victory in the Rhino Cup

By Tasha Ndonga (LVI-J)

e Rhino Cup is a rigorous debating competition amongst the senior years of the KAIS member schools. Each school that enters puts forward three debaters who are supported by a team of twenty English and MUN students who take time out of their busy schedules to help brainstorm ideas on the motion and help them write their speeches. I had the honour of being one of the students supporting our very talented debaters: Maansi Ruparel(E), Ryan Gontier(C) and Saahir Dewany(M), all pupils in Upper VI. Although we supported them, they put in the most amount of work. e dedication that I have seen throughout this whole competition is honestly admirable.

KAIS is an organization that supports 45 individual international schools in Kenya and the main idea of this association is to bring di erent schools together and provide events that connect these schools to each other, like the Rhino Cup.

e Rhino Cup gave us something to look forward to this term, aside from our studies and sports. It was a breath of fresh air but of course, it was not all fun and games; the motions opened our eyes. Sometimes we forget how privileged we are and I think the Rhino Cup was a way to pull us back to reality. e motions debated ranged from the empowerment of the girl child and how it a ects the boy child to how the mindset of African countries has a ected our development and whether we need a benevolent dictator in Africa; these are just a few of my favourites.

It made us all more aware of what is happening in Africa and I think it is an important way to make us more well-rounded adults. I learned so many things during the research of these topics and even took the motions home to debate with my father.

However, I think what was the most interesting to watch was the debates themselves. As someone who can barely utter a word in class, I found it admirable how our speakers, and even the speakers from other schools, could articulate their thoughts and argue their points in less than four minutes. I would like to compare our rst debate to our last and marvel at how our speakers grew in con dence and developed their delivery throughout the competition, which ultimately led to our win. But let me not get too ahead of myself.

Our rst debate was against Naisula School, and for two of our debaters, it was their rst debate in the Rhino Cup ever; but of course, not their rst time debating. Peponi o ers a wide range of debating opportunities for all pupils. ere are chances to debate in Inter-House debate, and the MSMUN and EAMUN conferences that we host on a yearly basis.

e motion of this debate was if cosmetic surgery was acceptable and the motion was a good way to kick start the whole competition because various people of the Peponi team had many ideas to contribute because it is a much debated issue in our generation.

As an audience member, I thought that all the speakers were amazing, but I knew Peponi had already secured a win. However, I think the stand-out speaker was from Naisula School. He caught the audience's attention with his jokes and his enormous presence. Our team was very poised and, although that is a trait we are proud of, it was also a disadvantage, because debate is all about wit as Ms Ayatta, the advisor of our team, continues to remind us.

However, in the nal debate, our debaters were the only thing you could focus on in the Brookhouse School hall; that is how captivating each and every one of them had learnt to be. It was a proud moment for the team in the audience because our debaters even made the judges erupt in laughter. ey looked like professional speakers and I thought at that moment that our win was assured.

One of our debaters, Ryan Gontier(C), won the best speaker for the whole competition, which was very well deserved, while the other debaters and the chairperson, Ella Ndubai(E), also won prizes for their hard work. It had taken four years of losses in the rst rounds but nally Peponi had become the overall Rhino Cup champions.

e debaters this year can proudly say that they have made history, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish (hopefully another win) next year.

Model United Nations (MUN)

By Ryan Gontier - MUN Senior Chair (LVI-C)

Model United Nations or MUN, is an extracurricular activity, in which pupils assume the roles and responsibilities of United Nations delegates and attend conferences to debate global issues.

It is an amazing opportunity for all pupils to learn leadership, critical thinking, and an acute understanding of the world around us. In MUN, pupils are encouraged to come up with solutions to tackle real-world problems and write their ideas in a detailed document called a resolution.

is resolution is brought forward at the conference and debated whether it is sustainable, e ective, and practical, so delegates must be ready to defend their ideas and support other resolutions.

On Friday the 14th of October, Peponi School hosted the 3rd Annual Peponi School MUN conference where we invited 4 other schools: M-Pesa Academy, Nova Pioneer Girls, Crawford, and Limuru Girls.

For the rst time, we had two separate conferences, the MSMUN (Shell and LV) and the EAMUN (UV, LVI, and UVI), which allowed for even more delegates to participate. We had over 150 delegates which are double compared to previous years.

Delegates were assigned countries to represent in di erent committees ese committees included Human Rights, Ecology, Economics, Politics, Technology, and Health.

Some standout performers include:

• Amara Pannu(J) (Best Delegate MSMUN)

• Dev Gardi(M) (Best Delegate EAMUN)

A special thanks to Joshua D’Souza(M), Carlo Blunsum(M), and Saahir Dewany(M) for assisting in organizing the conference and chairing the conferences.

Michaelmas Concert 2022

Due to the school examinations, our traditional End of Term Concert was brought forward to an earlier date in November. In addition to all of the school ensembles, we were delighted to invite the Nairobi Chamber Chorus as our guest performers as well as our Music Intern, Mr Jerome Liberty (from Kabarak University) in an intriguing solo performance!

Our School Orchestra kicked things o with a medley of Holst’s e Planets along with Jurassic Park by John Williams. We had encouraging debuts from the Shell pupils, including singers Mysha Hodson(E) (Beautiful), Kahina Kidha(J) (Fly Me To e Moon) and Raahi Shah(J) (Cry Me A River) as well as a marimba solo from Mukiri Mugambi(C) (Leapfrog Funk). We also had debuts from our older pupils, including Faith Njoroge(J) on voice (Session 32) and Christine Kariuki(E) on the drum-kit (In My Place). Yara Mballa(E) once again demonstrated her versatility singing one of her own compositions (My Mind) as well as accompanying other performers on her guitar.

As for the other ensembles, we heard performances from the Brass Ensemble (including Let It Go from Frozen) and the String Ensemble (including the Vivace from Corelli’s Christmas Concerto). whilst our school choir presented A ousand Years. I am delighted that the Sta Choir is up and running again and was very happy with their rendition of Nimerudi Mashambani, Meanwhile, our Upper Sixth form band, the Last Last Minuters, comprising Samyak Raja(M) (Violin), Heeray Shah(M) (Electric Guitar), Neha Shah(J) (Keyboard & Bass Guitar) and Ronav Vora(C) (Drum-kit) entertained us with a medley/mash-up of a variety of songs and nally the Form 2 pupils made their mark with an arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon and Coolio’s C U When U Get ere. Overall, there were approximately 75 performers involved, whether pupils or adults. Well done to everyone involved for a great evening of varied music!

James Laight Director of Music & Creative Arts

Art Competition 2022

is year’s theme was Minimalism. Despite the rather busy start to the term, pupils were able to organize themselves accordingly, lead by their Heads of House. e entries had a great mix of two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork.

ere was sti competition between Jipe and Elementaita House but at the end, there can only be one winner; Elementaita won this year’s competition by just ve marks! Congratulations to Elementaita. Below were some highlights from the exhibition.

Betty Wakhu Teacher of Art

Fine Art

Photography

“Always work hard, never give up, and ght until the end because it’s never really over until the whistle blows.” —

Alex Morgan

UV Exploration Day

By Kario Karani (LVI-J)

Ngong Hills, formerly known as “Enkong'u Emuny”, are sprawling peaks located southwest of Nairobi and fairly close to the city. Overlooking the Great Rift Valley, the Ngong Hills are the perfect destination for a day out and this term the Upper Fifth got to experience the picturesque views and soothing experience of the hills as part of their exploration day.

We departed school super early at 7am for a lengthy two-hour bus ride that ended at PEC (Peaceful Environmental Community) nature camp in the hills. Activities planned out for the day included a high ropes course, zip lining and team building. e day already looked promising.

After being split into our groups and given safety procedures, we climbed a steep ladder many metres high to begin a daring ropes course. Swinging tires and oating steps challenged our bravery. It was tough and it was terrifying but everyone managed to make it across, feeling accomplished and dauntless.

Zip lining was the second activity and this called for even more safety procedures. We hiked up a small hill to the platform and awaited our turns. en one by one, we leapt o the platform and ew by trees and rocks towards our friends. is was the fastest (and most painful!) activity but it was great fun.

Finally, after a delicious packed lunch (thanks Sylvester!), we convened for teambuilding, run by two wonderful leaders. We played mind-boggling games that forced us closer together as a year group. e games pushed us to interact with everyone, strengthening our bonds.

At the end of the long day, we got back onto the bus for the journey home. Fortunately, there was no tra c and we reached school in record time. You may think that concludes the day, but we were far from done enjoying ourselves. Mr Kanyiri kindly organised for us to go swimming in the school pool. IN OUR CLOTHES!

It was a fun- lled, exciting day that we all enjoyed.

Northlands Activity

“Having spent my life in so many dangerous and at times unforgiving terrains, I have learnt that to come out at the other side alive, you have to nd the spirit to keep going, whatever the cost. As individuals, we cannot conquer a mountain or a storm but we can learn to harness natures elements and our limitations to see almost any ordeal through.” Bear Grylls

e Northlands Activity program is designed to bring out the enduring spirit of survival, adventure and freedom. e Outdoor Activity program, takes place every Wednesday as an afterschool activity from 4:15pm - 5:30pm and is open to the general school population. Every week, the pupils are exposed to a new outdoor activity that requires them to quickly learn and adapt as well as overcome any fears or reservations within themselves.

For the Michaelmas term, e Northlands activity members engaged in a myriad of outdoor activities that required their resilience, tness and love of adventure.

e pupils engaged in Kayaking and tubing, an activity held within the Northlands vicinity on a dam reservoir lled with clean pristine water. e pupils also engaged in mountain biking challenges that traversed rugged cross country routes that tested their tness and orienteering skills.

Archery skills were also honed on the Northlands site as pupils practiced shooting arrows at various targets in a competition setting. Most of us are petri ed of heights and rock climbing is an outdoor activity that helps one face and eventually overcome their fear of falling.

e pupils were treated to sessions of indoor and outdoor climbing and over the course of the term, most have become pro cient in rock climbing, rope and knot skills.

e Peponi Outdoor program’s objective is to instill con dence in the pupils as they tackle various challenges in the outdoor environment. e program helps the pupils to become environmentally aware of the Kenyan countryside, its people, and in so doing, broadens their horizons. We hope to see more pupils take up outdoor activities in the forthcoming term

Eric Kanyiri Extra-Curricular

Peponi Charity Committee

rough the Charity Committee and Ministry, the Peponi School community donated food worth Kshs 1 million to feed hungry Kenyans in Turkana County.

e headmaster handed over 5 tonnes of food consignment to Mr. John Gathungu, the country Director, Food Banking Kenya at the Peponi School grounds on Friday 25th November 2022. e food was distributed to over 2000 jubilant families in Turkana on Wednesday 30th November 2022. e Charity Committee and ministry wishes to thank the pupils, parents and faculty for the positive generosity towards this noble initiative.

Next term, the Charity Committee and Ministry are planning a Charity fair and walk to raise funds towards sustainable hunger alleviation in Kenya. is will be in collaboration with Food Banking Kenya and other stakeholders. We shall keep you posted.

Njoroge Coordinator, Charity Committee

Sam

Peponi school not left behind in alleviating hunger in drought stricken areas…

Peponi Bee Keepers Activity

Peponi Bee Keepers is an activity that provides members with an exciting opportunity of promoting our biodiversity. If you have an interest in learning why bees are an integral part of our survival as human beings, then this is the activity for you. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a third of the world’s food production depends on bees.

e activity is engaging and o ers practical skills on how to safely take care of bees. It is a worthwhile hobby that cuts across di erent subject disciplines – Biology, Agriculture, Mathematics and Business.

Isaiah, an aspiring bee keeper and a member of the activity states – “Bee keeping is an activity that o ers a wide range of bene ts for our environment, it’s interactive, fascinating and overall fun.”

ose interested should contact Mr Matu.

Fredrick Matu Head of Faculty (Crane), SEND

Life in Dorms

By Tiarra Njoki (UV-J)

Personally, living in senior dorms has truly been a ful lling journey. I began my boarding life towards the end of year nine. I had never had the curiosity for boarding before because, coming from a life where I had never slept away from home, it had never interested me in any way. However, a spark lit up in me after I saw how my friends who boarded, after a fun outing in Northlands during school hours, were able to continue the same fun after school. at was when I knew I wanted to commence my path into boarding.

Peponi has always been a boarding school since the beginning of its time, as a result of it being located outside Nairobi city but due to an expansive ika Super Highway, Peponi is able to accommodate day scholars as well as boarders. However, years ago there were only two dormitory buildings, which is what is now Sedge House and Junior Girls’ dorms. ese dorms housed all year groups from 9-13 as Peponi was yet to become a large community it is now. Pupils lived in year groups and instead of sleeping individually in your own room- as boarders currently do, they shared rooms almost up to six pupils per room and slept in bunk beds.

e dorms we now know as senior dorms were built about seven years ago as a project initiated by Mr. Durston himself as the new headmaster of Peponi School and then was introduced the separation of dorms into Houses.

Living in dorms is a great experience for anyone. It allows you to engage with your friends during after school hours and create greater bonds in these friendships. Many new friendships are also formed, especially among di erent year groups as pupils of all ages live side by side.

As always, behind the smooth dorm life schedule there are the people who work hard to manage everything- the House Mistresses and Masters- Mr. Odengo, Mr. Kamande, Mrs. Njuguna, Ms. Mwangi, Ms. Mukule- who are always there to help us with our dorm needs and problems.

Dorms is a community and a family that teaches and prepares pupils for the real world and anyone and everyone is welcome to start their dorm journey.

University O ers Class of 2023

Tanisha Waithika O ered a Scholarship at Loughborough University

Geography And Management

Heeray Shah O ered a Scholarship at Loughborough University Management And Marketing

Lisa Musunga O ered a Scholarship at Loughborough University Geography And Management

Palvi Shah O ered a Scholarship at Loughborough University Sports And Exercise Psychology

Jay Shah O ered a Scholarship at Loughborough University Business Economics And Finance

Ethan Mwesigwa University Of Kent Law

Faith Kaunda University Of Aberystwyth Marketing

Dean Ngirici University Of Law Law

Asma Abdullahi University Of Nottingham International Relations

Ethan Biribonwa Swansea University Mechanical Engineering

Inter-House Dance Competition 2022

e long-awaited Inter House Dance Competition took place on the evening of Friday 25 November. With the whole School seated in the Main Hall, the excitement was tangible as the four Houses battled it out for the ultimate prize

Pupils from all age groups used every inch of the 80 square meters to perform. A rich variety of music and moves thrilled those in attendance and, in particular, our esteemed adjudicators the unenviable task of picking winners.

e Heads of Houses and House Captains must be congratulated on a ne competition with some real choreographed quality in all four Houses’ performances. In the end, Jipe won the girls competition and Chala won the boys.

Overall winner was Jipe.

Formal Dinner 2022

Bon Appétit

As the busy Michaelmas Term drew to a close, the School looked forward to unwinding at the Formal Christmas Dinner on the last night of term. With 400 sta and pupils in the decorated Main Hall, all were treated to Chef Sylvester’s nal feast. Pupils sat with friends and had the opportunity to share and re ect upon the events of the term: in formal attire, fun was had and memories were crystallised. One of the highlights of the evening was the excellent entertainment courtesy of Asta Ina & the Rouge Band, who engaged young and old alike.

A super occasion, as we all moved into the Christmas break.

Karl Cook Deputy Head (Pastoral)

In Loving Memory

“When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure”